Chapter: 4 Perilous Pursuit

Judy's car roared through the tunnels. The bunny kept her foot flooring the gas pedal while Nick looked through the rearview mirrors. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his furry brows. "I think we lost them."

BAKOW!

A bullet struck the car's left taillight and startled the group. "Think again," worried Judy. "Left lane!"

Two black cars attempted to flank Judy. Each passenger rolled down the right window and opened fire on the vehicle. Judy put her head down again as Nick sunk into his seat. "Look out!"

Jason grunted in the backseat. "I barely have any room back here!"

"Deal with it," jeered Nick. "Unless you'd like to jump out."

CRASH!

Three bullets smashed right through the rear quarter window. Shattered glass rained onto Jason as he braced for the worst. "Oh my God," gulped Judy. Her orchid eyes widened at the sight of a ZBI blockade at the end of the tunnel. Muzzle flashes illuminated the darkness, and the hood of her car was soon battered with bullets.

"Hard right!" pointed Nick. "Take maintenance tunnel 7C!"

Judy tugged the wheel with a grunt and drove directly into the maintenance tunnel. She drifted too far, and the right side of the car scraped against a concrete wall before straightening. "That'll need a paint job," groaned Judy.

"Your car just got pumped with bullets and you are worried about a paint job?!" exclaimed Nick. They exited the tunnel and proceeded along a forested cliffside. One of the ZBI cars pursued, unleashing whatever bullets the agents' guns still possessed. By this point, every window and mirror in Judy's car had been obliterated. The powerful nighttime breeze could be heard amidst the overwhelming tatters of gunfire. "Slow down," warned Nick while pointing at the approaching cliff. "Slow down!"

Judy didn't have enough time to break and quickly spun the wheel. The car skidded mere feet from the guardrails. Unfortunately, this turn exposed one of the car's front wheels to an incoming bullet. There was a loud blast, and the car tilted forward as sparks flew. The ZBI driver had misjudged his speed while attempting to get his partner a good shot. As a result, he crashed into the edge of the guardrail and went plummeting several hundred feet below.

An eerie silence filled the cliffside. "Is that the last of them?" panted Nick while tightly gripping what remained of the seat.

"I don't know," admitted Judy. Her ears twitched as she listened to the sad sounds of the car's dying engine. "We need to get home quick."

Nick's eyes widened when he observed headlights emerging from the tunnel. "How about quicker than quick?"

Judy accelerated again, forcing her critically-damaged car to skid its way back to the city. Meanwhile, the rest of the ZBI vehicles parked at the cliffside, believing that Judy and her friends had driven over the edge.

Perhaps it was this alleged crash that allowed Judy to gain enough distance to end the pursuit. Much to Judy's misfortune, her car had sustained so much damage that it eventually broke down. "No," Judy gripped the wheel and steered the car just out of a traffic camera's range. "No no!" She slammed her paw on the dashboard.

"Oh this is great," scoffed Nick. "Just terrific." He sulked against the back of the seat and leaned at the sound of a phone dialing. "Now what are you doing?"

"Getting us a limo." said Judy while awaiting the dial tone. "Yes, hello? It's the godmother. Tell Mr. Big that I need a pickup near Flurry Street. Keep things discrete. I need a driver that will not question our motives...Alright...Understood...Thank you."

"Do you hear yourself?" asked Nick as she hung up the phone. "What are you, a smuggler?"

"It's the only way to ditch the car and get back to the apartment," said Judy.

Nick facepalmed, "Judy. Those agents almost killed us. Some of them probably died in that car crash. All of this is because of that thing in the backseat. I warned you that getting involved would be trouble. You'd better pray we weren't identified."

Judy glowered at his jeers and impatiently awaited the limo. "Just keep your head down, Jason."

"Yeah, Jason." mocked Nick with his arms crossed. "Keep your head down. That will magically make everything better."

"Would you stop?" snapped Judy.

"No!" argued Nick as he tightened his crossed arms. "It's as if you don't even weigh in consequences. You think this is a game? Like we're living in some whimsical cartoon world where the bad guys sing a little song and do a little dance? NO! These agents will actually kill us!" Nick shook his head at Judy. "You poor, unfortunate soul."

Ten minutes had passed when a limo soon arrived with a familiar jaguar behind the wheel. Judy was the first to get out of the car and wave, "Mr. Manchas."

"Officer Hopps," he smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," huffed Judy. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Manchas cringed at the sight of the bullet-riddled car. "I can only imagine what trouble you've been mixed up in."

"I promise I'll explain someday," said Judy. "But for now I need you to trust me and avert your eyes from what we place in the backseat."

"Not a problem, Judy." nodded Manchas while looking the other way. "It's the least I can do after I almost killed you and Nick last year."

Judy opened her dented door and whispered, "Time to go. Just keep moving and get in the limo." Jason quietly obliged and was relieved to know he had more room to rest. Nick silently got into the limo and planted himself in a seat."

Judy tapped Manchas on the shoulder. "We're all clear, let's go." The drive was as silent as possible. No one spoke another word, for each was battling his or her own conflicted thoughts. Manchas had safely dropped them off at the apartment complex, allowing Nick and Judy to exit. They helped Jason to his feet and he followed them towards the complex. Judy yawned, "The sun will be coming up in a couple of hours. Just stay in the shadows, Jason. Be light on your feet."

Jason crept up the stairs and followed the animals to their apartment. Judy quickly unlocked the door and ushered him inside. She shut the door with a sigh of relief and watched as Nick immediately made for the television. He angrily scoured the channels until he found the news network. A headline reading: BREAKING NEWS: Mysterious Gunshots.

A reporter began saying, "Residents living in Sahara Square and Tundratown have reported hearing intense gunfire throughout the streets. Such sounds have been coupled with a furious car chase. This amateur video was captured by a bystander from her hotel room. The screen then showed shaky cellphone footage of the pursuit. Luckily, it only showed one of the ZBI vehicles screeching down the street.

Nick shook his head with a sneer, "Look at this...Look at THIS!" He growled.

"Calm down," intoned Judy.

"Calm down?!" snapped Nick. "There's going to be an investigation, Judy! It's only a matter of time before they figure out we are involved. How do we even know we can trust this human thing? Maybe the ZBI wants him dead for good reason. I will not be the wrongdoer here. Not again. I gave up that life when I put on the badge."

Judy looked over at Jason, who was uncomfortably seated in the undersized couch. It was only a matter of time before the man broke the small mammal-sized furniture. Before Judy could refute, the news reporter continued, "This just in. Mayor Snoutmeyer has delivered a statement alongside head of the ZBI, Lydia Furwell."

Judy's heart sank when the headline changed from Mysterious Gunshots to Act of Terror. Mayor Snoutmeyer could be seen at a podium with Lydia at his side. The pig spoke into the microphone, "I assure you all that the situation is...to my extent of knowledge...a contained crisis. The head of the ZBI will now speak about last night's incidents."

Lydia took to the podium, "Thank you. Mammals of Zootopia, we have a serious situation on our paws. We believe that a minimum of three terrorists are to blame for the shootings that began in Sahara Square. These suspects opened fire on authorities and then fled. Agents of the ZBI were in pursuit, but have yet to capture the criminals." The press erupted into a tizzy until Lydia roared them into silence. "We must remain calm! We must be ever-vigilant. Under my authority and the approval of the mayor, Zootopia is now under a level one state of emergency. Citizens are advised to remain indoors until the alert has been lifted. All police officers are to report to the Savannah Central Police Department and await further instruction. That is all."

Nick turned to Judy. "Terrorism?! I don't believe this!"

"Neither do I," said Judy. "Lydia's using her story as a coverup."

Nick grew flustered, "Would you stop with this? I meant that we're involved in what the government believes to be a terrorist plot. We don't know what on Earth we are dealing with." He turned to Jason. "You! What did you do to make them shoot at you?"

"I survived," affirmed Jason. "You blame me as if I had a choice in all this. Your race has been hunting my kind for years."

Judy worried. "This cannot be,"

Jason nodded, "I was born running from the hunters. I have been hiding in the shadows and scavenging for nourishment ever since I was a child. I have watched my father die...and my mother. My brothers...my sisters...All because of your race."

"If what you say is true, do you seek revenge?" asked Nick.

"Revenge," scoffed Jason with a shake of his head. "When did that ever work? I seek peace I want what remains of my family and I to be safe from harm. I seek to no longer live as a filthy outcast that is hunted like game. Killing those who kill my kind would not change anything."

Judy was about to speak when her radio sounded from the kitchen counter. "HOPPS!" exclaimed Chief Bogo. "WILDE! Didn't you hear Furwell's announcement? I need all officers to report to the station NOW!"

"Oh no," worried Judy. "What do we do about-"

"We have to go," said Nick while reaching for his uniform. He brushed the remaining glass shards out of his fur and stretched himself out. "We can act like last night never happened. We just have to play it cool."

Judy sighed and left to change into her uniform. When she returned, she looked up at Jason and said, "You can stay in my room. It's not the biggest, but there's only one window in it. I covered it with a curtain so just stay away. We're going to find out what is going on and will be back as soon as possible. Food is in the fridge if you get hungry." Jason raised a brow in honest confusion. Judy pointed at the refrigerator, "The big metal thing. Yep. Just open it and eat whatever-" Jason easily opened the miniature fridge and began gorging himself on the vegetables within. "You want..." finished Judy.

"Can we just go?" snipped Nick, prompting Judy to start rushing out.

"Don't open the door for anyone," warned Judy before leaving.

Nick glared at her, "Did you lay out some newspapers for him?"

"Very funny,"

"I'm serious,"

Judy sighed, "I'm sure he can use a toilet...right?"

"I don't know," shrugged the cynical fox. "How many toilets did you see in those caves?"

Judy quivered with disgust, "Duly noted."

The mammals departed from the apartment complex and began their walk across the quiet streets. The stillness was discomforting and Judy's tiredness only fed her anxiety. She remained focused and kept up with Nick. Judy breathed deeply to remove her fears of all that was to come. She focused on each of her steps as she neared the police department.